Sun and Moon
by morning rush
Summary: Set during the Sino-Japanese war, a Japanese soldier and a Chinese civilian sparked an undeniable attraction despite the war between their countries. Four years and broken promises later, they meet again under the most tragic circumstances. - ON HIATUS -
1. Prologue

Summary: Set during the Sino-Japanese war, a Japanese soldier and a Chinese noble begin a forbidden affair despite the war between their countries. Four years and broken promises later, they meet again under the most tragic circumstances.

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**Standard disclaimers apply.**

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**Sun and Moon**

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It was midnight, the moon was full and the trees swayed to the light summer breeze. But there was no peace in the air, and no silence to permeate the environment. It would have been a perfect humid evening, were it not for the cries and screams that echoed across the town. Infernos of oranges and reds could be seen from a distance, large fumes of black smoke where all but evidences of the latest tragedy to befall the city. Everywhere people scrambled for their lives trying to salvage all of their belongings from being swallowed by the fire that licked their homes. Frantic mothers carried their screaming children across the streets, maddeningly searching for a place to go.

Trying hard to fight for their lives.

But failing.

There was simply no escape.

The Imperial Japanese Army has already arrived in the city. And for them, there is only one intention. One simple rule to carry out for them to win their war against China… And bring national pride back home.

The Imperial Headquarter Order number 575. Or more popularly known as the Three Alls Policy.

And it only meant following three simple rules:

_Kill All._

_Loot All._

_Burn All._

The rule maybe the most vicious and most inhumane act to be enforced upon humanity, but it was a rule nonetheless and they were soldiers merely carrying out orders for their country. For their future.

Their pride.

And for that they turned blind eyes and deaf ears against the pitiful and gory sight of homes being burned, lost children screaming for their mothers, people crying over dead relatives and loved ones and accused men being pierced with bayonets in the public.

It was a massacre.

And amidst the blaze of fire, one red-haired man stood as he watched the city burn along with some of its occupants. The scent of smoke infiltrated his nose, but he did not do anything to cover it.

His golden eyes pierced the darkness as it settled on his captive standing across from him. It scared the man right in front of him. A man whose head was bowed low and arms placed behind it, signifying surrender.

Total surrender.

With no hesitations, the amber-eyed man lifted his rifle towards the person, as he made a circular motion in his hands. A cue for the man to turn around, and he did.

This was his destiny, and there was no room for mercy, for compassion. His humane side, had long died right after he had gotten over his first kill.

His first taste of blood.

This was sacrifice, for Japan's better future.

One shot from his bayonet was all it took, a shot to the head. Straight on. And the man instantly fell on his knees before slowly stumbling forward. He let down his rifle and he soon joined his comrades to search the city town hall.

But no matter how many lives he took, there was one thing he couldn't bear seeing on dead people.

The look of empty and unseeing eyes.

Eyes that might serve to remind him of this nightmare when all of this war is over. Eyes that will haunt him and blame him for deaths where he played the role of God.

He was no God, but in the battle he was a demon.

He was Battousai.

And he shows no mercy.

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Hey guys! My first venture into serious writing (by serious I mean, research and drama!). I warn you this does not include supernatural creatures or teenage angst (if you are into those kinds of things). Just plain old wartime drama inspired by a play, which I will mention in the future for fear of spoiling things.

Though 'twas a short one, hope that piqued your interest. Next chapter is about Kaoru so I hope you'll wait for that one. Please review!


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters were never mine.**

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I researched a bit about some Mandarin words. Hey I'm not a Mandarin expert; these were merely searched on the net. So if there are any errors, corrections are most welcome.

niáng - mother

lao shī - teacher

jiě - older sister

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IJA - Imperial Japanese Army

Kuomintang- Chinese Nationalist Party

Henan - A Chinese province

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Tears glistened in the moonlight as it escaped the sobbing form of a raven haired girl, as she tossed and turned in her bed. Salty tears and sweat clinging to the strands of hair pasting her cheeks.

"Niang…Please don't leave me niang…"

She was asleep yet her mind was taunted with the past, a nightmare. She clutched at her blanket tightly, unaware of the tears spilling faster. Refusing to remember, wanting to wake up from the nightmare.

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_She was but an innocent girl, ten years of age. She was as innocent as she was helpless. _

_Defenseless. _

_She remembered that it happened during nighttime. The city was blanketed in complete darkness save from the lights coming from candle lights and the occasional orange and yellow glow sparked by various bombs, and fires. The IJA had completely cut off all of the electricity flowing to the city._

_The Japanese army had already arrived in Shanghai, declaring total annihilation on its occupants, boasting that they can conquer the city within three days._

_A week of terror had befallen Shanghai. A week of hiding in the confines of their homes as they heard the continuous sound of bombings and shooting of guns a short kilometer away from where they were hidden. Kaoru and her family didn't have the opportunity to escape from Shanghai, for the war between the IJA and the Kuomintang had started before the civilians could carry on with their escape._

"_Niang… I'm scared niang…" Little Kaoru cried. Running her little fists over her eyes, trying to control her hiccups. _

"_Shhh.. darling we only have to get through tonight. Your father will come tomorrow with his army. And he will save all of us." Mei tried to calm her daughter though she didn't quite believe her own words. Kaoru sensed the fear in her mother's usually calm voice._

"_But Jiang told me that the Japanese soldiers are coming... She said that they will kill all of us niang." Jiang, Kaoru's maidservant was keeping lookout at the first floor._

_They were huddled at the master's bedroom. Mei was trying to hide Kaoru and Jiang's sleeping three year old child Yahiko, at a hidden closet in the room. The closet was small and can only accommodate the two children. Nevertheless it was the only hiding place Mei can think of. At least the children were safe._

_For tonight at least._

"_Remember your promise to me Kaoru… remember what I told you?" Mei asked trying hard not to cry for the sake of her daughter._

"_I will keep quiet, I will not squeak a word, I will take care of Yahiko and we will not get out of this closet until the Chinese soldiers arrive in the morning." She stated proudly, as if the promise had been memorized over and over in her young mind._

"_Right… I'm proud of you Kaoru, my daughter. Whatever happens please remember that." She tried to smile and kissed her daughter's forehead lingeringly. Cupping Kaoru's chubby cheeks in her beautiful soft hands. She then kissed the boy's nose lightly._

"_Don't say that, we'll see each other again in the morning, right niang?" _

_At that moment, they heard banging at the door, gunshots echoing outside their house and the soldiers' heavy footfalls thundering across the streets. They heard Jiang's loud scream._

"_They're here, they're coming! Hide the children Mei Li!"_

"_Remember your promise Kaoru." Mei said one last time, looking at her daughter in the eye. When little Kaoru nodded, she proceeded to close the closet door as quietly as she could. _

"_Niang… Please don't leave me niang…" She cried out desperately, banging at the closet from the inside._

"_Kaoru your promise..." Mei whispered, for Kaoru to hear. And with that Kaoru tried to calm down, though still sobbing quietly. She held Yahiko protectively in her shaking arms. It was a good thing that the boy was still asleep._

_From the tiny slit in the cabinet, with the little light offered by a single candle in the bedroom, Kaoru saw her mother one last time, as Mei Li blew out the candle before scurrying out of the room. _

_In the darkness she later became aware of the screams, from Jiang and her mother. And it raised the hairs in her arms as she tried her best to keep her promise to her niang. With each scream stabbing pain within her heart._

_She heard her mother's begging, begging to the soldiers not to do something. To stop whatever it was they were doing to her…to have mercy on them. But it fell on deaf ears. She heard the endless cries of her mother while the Japanese soldiers laughed and ordered her to give them more. She heard one particular soldier grunt and groan loudly as he roared at her mother in Japanese._

"_More! You emperor bitch!!" Kaoru heard one particular hard slap, and her mother cried out in pain._

_Kaoru didn't understand. She didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that her mother was in a lot of pain. She wanted to go to her mother to save her from the soldiers. But she wanted to keep her promise to her mother as well. Her tears spilled from her young eyes. She closed her eyes and tried to block the sounds from her surroundings. Trying to sing a happy song in her mind, the one she had learned as a child playing recklessly in the streets…_

"_Lollipops, candies dropping from the sky…_

_Oh come come lollipops in my hands._

_Pink cotton candies, blue bubblegums_

_Oh come come candies in our tongues"_

_Kaoru heard one last piercing scream from her mother and Jiang before hearing the sound of gunshots once, twice, thrice and more._

_Too many times to count on her fingers. Her heart almost stopped._

_And then there was silence._

_She cried and she cried. She held Yahiko tightly, as if holding on for dear life. It was by far the longest night in her young ten-year life._

_But she held on to her promise to niang._

_She kept quiet and she did not squeak a word._

_Morning came, and she woke up to the feel of a crying boy tugging her awake…_

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"Jie, wake up jie" She felt someone tugging at her shoulders. She opened her eyes to Yahiko's worried face looming over her.

She shot up from the bed. Not aware of the tears she cried during sleep. It was the same nightmare that had bothered her all of those seven years ago. She brought shaking hands to her eyes. Trying to calm herself down, as she felt Yahiko's hands rubbing on her back reassuringly.

"Was it a nightmare jie?" He asked worry all too evident in his tone.

Despite the turmoil in her emotions, Kaoru couldn't help but smile. Yahiko rarely called her 'Jie,' he had been calling her ugly for as long as she can remember. It was part of their sibling affections.

"Yes, it was _that_ nightmare again…I'll be fine, I'm sorry for waking you up…" She whispered back, not able to look at him. She had to be stronger than this. She had to be strong for Yahiko, for both of their sakes. It had been her strength that helped them push through life, this past seven years.

"It's alright to show weakness once in a while, jie." The serious tone in his voice made her look at him.

"I'm sorry Yahiko…" She clasped her hands to his and held it tightly as more tears began to fall, before finally hugging him, seeking brotherly comfort. It was not an apology for worrying Yahiko, it was an apology for not being strong enough more than anything else…

Not being strong enough all those years ago.

"Shhh, it's going to be alright, jie. The war will be over soon…" He tried to reassure her, but to no avail. Foreign aid was coming, and everybody was filled with hope that this will soon come to an end. The war maybe over soon, but the memories of it will haunt them for as long as they lived.

"Sleep now jie, we have another day tomorrow…"

She calmed down and lay in her bed again, turning her back at Yahiko. And with that he stood up, staring at her to make sure she was fine before walking out of the room. She could only look at the moon. Sleep was nowhere near her. She could only think of her niang; her beautiful face, her elegant posture and her soft calming voice. The memory of niang's soft warm hands against her cheek. The sacrifice she had made for Kaoru to live.

The memory was faint but it was there nonetheless. And a lone tear fell.

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Kaoru woke up feeling exhausted rather than rested, considering she only had three hours of sleep. She stared at the ceiling for a few moments, contemplating what happened last night, before deciding she wouldn't let it ruin her day. She went downstairs to the smell of freshly brewed tea and fried eggs. Her Aunt Wei and Yahiko were waiting at the table to eat breakfast.

"Where is Uncle Chen?" Kaoru asked while she began to munch on her stale bread. She was dressed in a simple cotton long sleeved blouse and coarse pants, the usual attire. There was simply no time and money to wear something dressier than what she had grown accustomed to as a child. Besides, she was going to the rice fields to teach some children, wearing a dress will not be practical.

"He got up early to train in the military base." Her aunt, a woman of forty with a few graying hairs, replied while sipping on her tea. "Yahiko told me you weren't feeling well last night." She gave Kaoru a knowing look.

Kaoru shoot a glare at Yahiko. There was no need for Yahiko to be a blabbermouth. Aunt Wei will worry over nothing.

"What, ugly? I just thought if you weren't feeling well, you shouldn't teach today." He defended. He took it upon himself to keep his Jie safe. "And besides I heard rumors of Japanese spies lurking around the town. Going to the rice fields will not be safe for someone like you."

"Yahiko, what have I told you about calling Kaoru, ugly?" Wei asked. Yahiko shrugged. It wasn't as if he hadn't been calling her ugly for the past five years.

"Listen Yahiko, the children are expecting me there. They were very excited when I told them I was going to teach them basic math today." She insisted.

"Alright, but I'm going to accompany you today."

"You will not!"

"Yes, I will. Japanese soldiers may be hiding there somewhere. Who knows when they are going to attack?" He asked.

"Then what, you will defend me? I'm bigger than you, you know…" She was quite in the mood to tease him, before she got a little more serious. "Really Yahiko there is no need to worry, but if you are really worried, maybe you can fetch me after classes." She decided. He can carry all of the books.

"Oh alright… whatever suits you ugly." At least he won this argument.

Aunt Wei can only sigh. Just another normal day for the Hsu family.

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Kaoru began her favorite morning ritual of doing the twenty minute walk towards the rice fields of Henan. The walk gave her the opportunity to think and exercise. She used to be active as a child. Her niang often caught her doing mischievous things and for that she often received a punishment. Not a severe punishment. But her mother did give her the silent treatment when she got caught playing like a boy or climbing trees and scraping her knees. She was a little tomboy.

The countryside of Henan, at this time of the year, was beautiful. She can smell the blooming of the flowers and the rice that will soon be ready for harvest. The green of the fields where surrounded by scattered huts housing families who relied on their income from the harvest of rice. Times were hard and food supply was dwindling. Nevertheless, this was where she taught basic math, Mandarin, and Chinese characters to the children of farmers and soldiers, for free. She took it upon herself to teach these young kids, with ages ranging from six to twelve, since the war did not give them the opportunity for any education. It bothered her that no schools were kept open since the local government found it useless. They reasoned that war can strike at them anytime.

_War is not an excuse to stop educating the children who will soon be the future of China. _She thought.

Besides, she liked the feeling of being able to share her knowledge. As a child, she was privileged, she was wealthy. Her father was the last emperor of China and her mother was the emperor's fourth wife. Being fourth wife is not something to be proud about. But Mei Li was the emperor's favorite wife. He made sure that they lived a life of luxury, and with this came the advantages. But Kaoru was never a spoiled child, Mei Li made sure of that. Her mother knew the value of hard work and humility; Mei was from the common people, and it was her unusual blue eyes that caught the attention of the former emperor who used to be the most powerful man in China.

As a child, Kaoru was given a private tutor; her father noticed her unusual curiosity and intelligence for someone as young as her, and he wanted to give her the best education. Aside from the basic educational subjects, she was taught in different languages as well. She understood and spoke a little bit of English and Japanese. Although her mother thought it was unnecessary, her father reasoned out that she needed to learn to speak in other languages so she can use it someday to bridge the gap between their countries. A diplomat, that was what her father said she should aspire to be.

Even though at that time, she didn't know what a diplomat meant. She wanted to be one. Now she knew the reason why. She had been ignorant at that time of the dangers of the looming war between Japan and China.

She stopped in front of an old large hut near a willow tree, where the children were waiting. When the children heard her arrival, they quickly got up and scrambled out to greet her, while the younger kids latched on to her legs, excited.

"Yey! Lao shi is here!"

"What are we going to learn today lao shi?"

"Lao shi, Feng punched Li in the face!"

"I left my pencil back home. Can I borrow yours, lao shi?"

"Lao shi, I accidentally cut my finger yesterday…"

"What took you so long?"

Kaoru laughed, joy suffusing her being, ruffling a small boy's head, while holding the hand of the other little girl. "Hey, I've got some coloring materials in my bag. Maybe we can learn to draw after our basic math. Is that alright?"

The children squealed in delight. And it was at that moment that Kaoru forgot about the past, the nightmares, the war, the screams, as it always did. Teaching had that effect on her. The look of innocence behind those children's eyes was priceless. And for a short amount of time, she could bathe in the presence of innocence untouched by the horrors of the war. She sighed happily.

It was going to be a nice day after all.

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Yahiko was taking longer than expected. Teaching class was over thirty minutes ago and all of the children had already left. The clock was going to strike at 3:00 pm soon. She still had to work to do at the town. She was slowly beginning to worry. What if something happened to him? What if the rumors of Japanese soldiers in Henan were true? Yahiko might be in danger…

_That's it! I'm not going to wait here any longer… Yahiko you better not be in trouble or you soon will be…_

She hurriedly gathered her teaching materials, shoved them in her bag and left the hut in great haste. She had been walking for the past five minutes when she noticed a person lying on his stomach on the edge of a rice paddy. The person seemed to be unconscious.

Kaoru dropped her bag and ran towards the unconscious person's form, thinking it might be Yahiko. Her ankles were sunk deep in the rice paddy, wetting the edges of her pants, muddying her feet, but she didn't notice. As she got closer, she realized that he was not Yahiko, for the person had long red hair. She turned the person on his back gently, for fear of internal injuries. The injured person was none other than a stranger, with a striking nose, high cheekbones and lightly tanned skin. His face was smeared with black and blue bruises and a slow trickle of blood oozed from his forehead. He was dressed in worn farmer's clothes and tattered pants. She can see that he had been stabbed near his left shoulder and blood was also dripping from the man's right thigh. It looked like a bullet penetrated the skin on his thigh, judging from the small hole in his pants.

_Who is he? A nationalist? A communist? A guerilla? _

Kaoru was sure she hadn't seen him before. She was certain she would remember his blood red hair and striking features. Though the man was a stranger, she felt an unexplainable mercy for the stranger. No matter what he is, he needs medical help. She doubted that he was Japanese. His clothes were too tattered for him to be a soldier.

Slowly the stranger opened his eyes to reveal a pair of amethyst eyes. Kaoru touched his forehead gently, brushing his bangs away as she asked, "Mister? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

He winced in pain, as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He held her hand tightly and looked at her pleadingly, rasping out as he said, "Help me… please he-." His body twitched slightly groaning in pain, before losing consciousness and loosening his hold on her hand. She tried her best to tug the stranger awake, fearing he might die on her.

He was Chinese, as he spoke the local dialect though in a different accent.

_Maybe he is from the north?_

Distantly, she heard heavy footsteps of a person running towards them.

"Kaoru!"

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**A/N:**

Just a little history info, the Sino-Japanese war happened from 1937 to 1945. Shanghai was bombed during 1937. So there, you maybe a little confused about the timeline. The last emperor of China did reign until the 1930's although I do not know anything about his personal life, that line where he had a fourth wife, is completely fictional. Also do not be surprised about the morbid details of how the Japanese treated the Chinese through out the story. Rape and brutal killing were very common during the Japanese occupation, and I learned about this being Asian myself.

Man, I was so excited to write this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. I hope that it wasn't too boring for you. Truth of the matter is, writing the first part was emotionally draining for me…Please tell me what you think, was it too fast paced? Too slow? Too boring? Gaah! Your reviews will be greatly appreciated…This was not beta-read.

P.S. I know Yahiko and Kaoru are Japanese names, but in this story I made them Chinese. I'm also going to use other RK characters as Chinese. Remember this is fanfiction you guys!


	3. Chapter 2

**Standard disclaimers apply.**

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He had never considered himself a patient man.

But strangely, being in the military suited his character. One didn't need a lot of patience to be a soldier. One simply needed two things.

Discipline and instinct.

Discipline was part of the training. Learning the basics, getting instructions, following instructions, and carrying out orders; those were all part of being a disciplined soldier.

While it is true that to be a good soldier, one needed to follow instructions, being in the battlefield was far different than remembering simple commands. You have to follow your instinct when it came to knowing your enemy's moves, when you're fighting for what you believe.

It was very different when you're fighting simply to survive. So you could have a chance of seeing what your future is holding out for you. To maybe see that loved one you have left long ago.

But there he was in a jungle, under a peaceful night full of twinkling stars, and he was losing the last reserves of patience he had banked for four years. One might be able to appreciate simpler things, such as stargazing, when there is peace. But how can he find peace, when he was surrounded by his comrades, dead tired from their latest mission. Infiltrating the enemy's base of supplies. It wasn't the hardest of missions. But the trip to the base and back was exhausting and took a toll on their bodies. They were all fighting past fatigue and weary limbs.

He can only find solace in the picture in his hands. That simple photo in black and white with the edges nearly crumpled and yellowed, as if to say that he had held the photo far too many of times.

Stared at it for more times than he could count.

That picture of a little girl. With big eyes and shy smile.

And it was enough to erase all of the fatigue away. It had been four years since he had seen her last. He could not wait to get back. Just another week and this will all be over. He can go home for a while, and get some well-deserved rest. Because when he returned, the promise of the future will be near.

He had a bride to claim after all.

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Kaoru woke up to the soft, morning light and to a strange feeling of prickle in her arms. There was that unmistakable and uncomfortable feeling of being watched. She opened and rubbed sleepy eyes, before realizing she had fallen asleep not on her bed.

She fell asleep keeping watch at the stranger. Kaoru vaguely remembered that she was sitting on a chair reading a book while waiting last night. But now she was leaning on his bed, her arms folded to pillow her head, while the lower part of her body remained in a sitting position on the chair.

She sat up and turned. And was greeted by a curious look in a slightly, confused face. And for a while they stared at each other. He seemingly wanted to ask something… While she seemed out of it, slightly dazed from sleep. It was then, while she was staring at him, that she realized something…

He was awake!

"Erm… Hello…" Her voice a little husky and deep from being fresh from sleep. This was awkward, what do you say to a stranger, whom you have saved purely on instinct. For all she knew, he might be 'the' enemy. She cleared her throat, to loosen up the vocal cords, and suddenly became aware that she probably looked disheveled. She controlled the urge to fix her hair for fear of looking too conscious with her appearance.

_Might as well get over with the introductions…_She cleared her throat again.

"Good morning… I'm glad to see you're finally awake. You lost consciousness out on the road, and… you were gravely injured… We took you home so you could get medical help." She said pausing once in a while to see his reaction, but giving a kind smile just the same.

"Thank you for your kindness, I apologize for imposing on you…" He replied solemnly but with a lot of politeness in his tone.

"It was nothing… you're not imposing on us."

"But you have saved my life, and for that I thank you." He replied, his tone slightly passive. He was silent for awhile before asking, "I don't know exactly what happened before… I do remember I was walking along the road. May I know where I am?"

"Oh, you're in our home. My brother and I brought you here. We had a doctor come to check you…" He shifted a little as if attempting to stand up, Kaoru went over to him and gently touched his elbow. "The doctor said you shouldn't be moving so much." She suddenly remembered her manners, and quickly removed her hand from the elbow. Touching a man in such a way might be misinterpreted as doing something a little more suggestive. "I'm Hsu Kaoru by the way. I'm sorry if I haven't introduced myself earlier."

"I mean, where are we?" He asked again, this time a little impatiently, as if the politeness earlier was merely an illusion.

"Oh, that. We're in Henan." She replied, a little angered by his tone. How dare he? She had just saved his life, has she not? Can't he show just a little gratitude for saving his life from the unknown? In fact she was the one who insisted that they take _him _to **their** home and not leave him in the small hospital. Wasn't he the one who asked for her help? She tried to calm down by standing up and walking towards the windows. She tried to distract herself from irritation by opening the windows, to let the warm sunlight come in. She breathed in the cool morning air, hoping to cool her mood as well.

_Maybe I shouldn't judge him this early; he's still recovering from his injuries…_

She was quietly berating herself. He must have sensed her mood because he spoke again, earnestly looking at her "I'm sorry, all you have shown is kindness towards this unworthy one and I haven't even introduced myself." He gave a slight polite, smile before saying. "I am sorry my name is Fai Long, and I am at your service." He bowed down to her.

She was stunned, surprised by the quick turn-around in his personality. He was bowing to her to show his gratitude for kindness, and forgiveness for his earlier rashness. Well, his mood might have been affected by the injuries, indeed. He has sustained some injuries in the head that will explain it. When he brought his head up from bowing, she took the opportunity to take a good look at him, and he actually seemed sincere.

Last night, she hadn't been able to study his face well because of the lack of light. His forehead was bandaged to stop the bleeding. And the nasty bruise across his cheek had slightly disappeared. His long hair was a deep shade of red, which hung loose around his shoulders. His face was even more striking awake, than he was when asleep. The stranger was quite handsome, considering the bruises and bandages marring his profile. She then realized, he was shirtless except for the bandages surrounding his shoulders. She tried very, very hard to distract herself from the view of his lean, but muscular body.

Of his chest moving rhythmically… breathing in and exhaling out.

She had not seen anything like it in her life, it's not everyday that you get to see a half naked man in your bedroom. His skin was pale and there were different scars scattered around his torso and arms. It was very hard indeed, she hoped he didn't notice her little inspection of his body, he might consider her rude. She tried to focus on his handsome face instead.

Which was also very distracting.

But what struck her the most were his eyes, the deepest shade of violet she had ever seen in her entire life. And it actually became a mystery to her, even though she was a good judge of character, because she could not read what was behind those pair of eyes. And for the first time, she felt that strange force, pulling her in.

Were his eyes meant to deceive? Were his eyes honest? She wasn't sure at all. But she did have that nagging feeling that she shouldn't trust him just yet.

For a while, neither refused to move, not backing out. He seemed to be scrutinizing her just the same way she was scrutinizing him. Kaoru was suddenly aware that she was holding her breath.

She broke eye contact and walked 'round the room. Distance was a good thing to think reasonably.

"Are you hungry, Mister Long? I'll go get some soup downstairs." She turned to look at him again, determined not to look at him straight in the eye, focusing on that spot instead on his forehead. But he had already bowed his head, paying attention to the bandages around his shoulder. "Would you like some hot tea?" He looked up again after she asked.

"Yes please… thank you, Ms. Kaoru. I apologize again for troubling you" He said, then turned his eyes to look at her in the eye once again, as if trying to read her mind.

"It's nothing." She quickly turned around, unaware that her hands were shaking, and left the room in a hurry; completely confused why she had behaved that way.

There was something about this stranger that was making her feel uneasy. It wasn't fear of what he can do, for he was very much injured, it was fear of her own reaction. It was something strange, one she hadn't felt before. There was something intense about him that made her feel nervous, curious and irritated all at the same time.

Vaguely she hoped she could compose herself when she has to meet him again. She was never like this with other strangers. Well, strangers don't exactly bare themselves half naked in front of her. But then, it might have something to do with the look in his eyes when it met hers. As if to say that, there was far more to him than met the eye.

And it felt dangerous, it felt strangely exciting.

It felt like – …

She stopped herself, before holding on to the railing of the stairs. Trying to rein herself in. This sudden burst of confusion were very unwelcome feelings to Kaoru.

Maybe she should let Yahiko watch over Fai Long the next time.

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Inside the musty-smelling office room, a tall dark man stood in all his arrogant glory. Smoking his cigarette with one hand while leaning his thin body against the wall, arms crossed. Aside from the dim light, his amber eyes pierced the entire room, scanning the face of the two other men inside the room. One behind the table, seated in a wooden chair, was a calm but reserved-looking officer, his manner and air clearly indicating that he is one of higher rank.

Major Hajime could have passed on as an ruthless killer indeed, his eyes hard and his face an unreadable mask. Smoking in the same room as the colonel might have been considered as a sign of disrespect. But Saitou always got away with it. Colonel Katsura wouldn't have it any other way. Major Hajime was certainly one of his best officers, no matter how arrogant, at times, he could be.

"How is the Operation Ichigo going?" the colonel asked. His eyes on the papers laid-out before him. Turning a critical eye towards various papers of maps, routes and plans. They all knew that this mission is going to be very significant in their bid to this war. They had suffered major casualties ever since the Americans have infiltrated their airbases on surprise attacks. The two primary goals of Ichi-go were to open a land route to French Indochina, and capture air bases in southeast China from which American bombers were attacking the Japanese homeland and shipping.

A certain captain with hair unruly brown hair first reported: "We've been training the troops to attack on a landscape similar to the province, sir. Since the region is near a mountainous area, it would be difficult to send aircrafts to attack their military base without any warnings. We have confirmed that several guards are situated in different areas to warn the main base of any air attacks. The only way to get to the main city is attacking by land."

"Indeed, that would have confirmed our earlier suspicions in the region." He nodded his agreement at a certain Captain Sagara. He saw promise in the manner of the young captain; Katsura was certain Sagara would be a high ranking officer someday.

Turning towards his other officer the colonel asked, "Major Hajime how is the reconnaissance mission going?"

Puffing out a thick haze of smoke before replying he answered, "As well as can be expected, colonel. We believe that our intelligence has already infiltrated the enemy's base."

The colonel turned away from the papers and looked at his major straight in the face, seemingly amused. "And how were you able to persuade the Battousai to let you do it?" He knew that the Battousai and Major Saitou weren't exactly the best of comrades. They were rivals at their prime, both seemingly wanting to overpower each other.

He took a deep smoke before responding, "His ability to slip undetected will surely help this mission. I made sure that he looked convincing for the part." With that thought, he smirked.

The captain who had been respectfully keeping out of the discussion suddenly burst out in anger at a certain major. "You didn't have to beat him black and blue for this mission! If he doesn't die because of being found out, he will certainly die from the state you left him in! You could have given him internal head injuries!"

The major kept an impassive mask, seemingly not caring for the captain's outburst. Sagara had always been emotional where the Battousai was concerned. "If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut if you don't want to get reprimanded."

"What?!" Clenching his fists to control his anger, he was trying to control the urge to beat Saitou in the face; Saitou still was the higher ranking officer after all. But then Kenshin is his only remaining friend in the war, all the others have died.

He couldn't risk losing another.

"Stop it you too!" The colonel slammed his hand on the counter, not liking the way his officers disrespected each other. "Sagara, I'm sure that the major all has our interest in his mind to lead this operation to a success." Sagara kept quiet and bowed his head, muttering a silent apology to his officers. The major internally rejoiced in amusement.

"And you major, you didn't have to beat Major Himura like that. It was very unnecessary… I know you two are rivals, but this is not the time, may I remind you, to let personal intentions get in the way." He reminded his hard-headed major.

Saitou threw his half finished cigarette out of the window. Seemingly not affected by his officer's advice, he walked across the room and opened the door. He turned slightly back to them before saying, "I did what I had to do, I'm sure it was nothing the Battousai couldn't handle. I take my leave colonel." He bowed before leaving the dimly-lit room.

Sagara still angered by the major's arrogance managed to stand out, his face contorted by forced politeness. "I take my leave too, colonel. He bowed respectfully before heading out.

The colonel spoke before Sanosuke could leave the room. "I'm sure Major Himura could handle a few bruises, captain. He should be back in two weeks as planned." He tried to reassure Sagara. The captain could only nod before taking his leave. The colonel was left alone in the suddenly quiet room, his thoughts turning back to his favorite officer. He knew Himura was far more intelligent and stronger than that. He will survive this mission.

Yes.

Colonel Katsura was very confident.

It would be the Battousai that will help them win Operation Ichigo.

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A/N: Hey there! I know, it's been too long… I've been working like a dog for the past week, sleeping only for five hours before working like a dog again. It's quite hard to fit writing in the schedule. Anyway, I hope that chapter was more exciting than the last one. I'm sorry it couldn't be any longer, I'm still working in between.

Please review. Honestly guys, I would appreciate it even if the review is negative. I'm not entirely sure what I have been writing is worthy or entertaining at the very least…

Anyway, if you're a little observant, I changed the story's summary. I'm still not quite sure whether I should go with the original idea of basing this on a musical play… That story's ending was tragic. Again reviews are appreciated. I'm looking for a beta reader. Anyone interested?


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